Election Night
by Hepper
Summary: A few vignettes depicting missing and post-ep scenes from THAT night.
1. Chapter 1

While Will didn't ever want to stop feeling her hands run through his hair, he pulled back from the kiss and pressed his nose to hers momentarily.

Her eyes crinkled with her smile and she tossed his words back to him: "Thank God."

He laughed softly and pressed one more quick kiss to her mouth before inching back from her, the reality of their surroundings returning.

Mac held the lapels of his jacket, refusing to allow him to back up any further. She put on a serious face:

"Well do it properly then, Billy," she intoned as only she could.

Will chuckled again and took her left hand, sliding the ring on with ease. Silent for a moment, they stared at the diamond. Mackenzie's hands shot to Will's lapels again.

"I can't believe I have to let you walk away and go back on the air in 4 minutes."

"Do you think they would notice if we just snuck out?"

"Will."

"Alright, probably a bad idea. Well at least I didn't do this on a 30 second commercial break. As Director of Morale, I need a lot more time to do this—"

Meeting her mouth again, drinking her in, Will sighed as she ended the kiss biting his lower lip. Memories of what it used to be like, and relief that he had secured this as his future, made his shoulders sag as he leaned her into the wall again to press against her.

Mac took hold of his chin, eager to get this in before the rest of the world encroached:

"I love you. I love you so much. And you own me just as much as I own you, buddy."

With a smirk, Will's hand slid down to grasp hers, thumb running over the ring on her hand.

"What do you say we go let the kids know, Dulcinea?"

She gripped his hand tightly and pulled him toward the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Accepting slaps on the back and congratulations from all around, Will waded through the excited crowd in the newsroom after his big announcement before hearing Mac crow,

"HEY! Somebody has to do the news! Back to your battle stations everyone."

A few more celebratory whoops rang through the crowd as the team returned to their posts, chattering excitedly.

Struck by sudden inspiration, Mac shouted out again:

"WAIT! Somebody call Hang Chews and tell them to stay open for us. We'll be down at 2AM with Will's credit card to open a tab."

With eyebrows raised and a bright smile, she bowed with a flourish to the crowd's renewed applause and turned to head to the control room.

Will caught up to her side as they turned the corner, and he pressed a kiss to her temple before they readied to part company.

"What's yours is mine, right Billy?"

She could feel his smile and huff of laughter against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine, but before he could snap a comeback—

"WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY."

They realized in that moment who had not been present for the grand announcement. Concurrently, they realized who would be the most displeased with that.

Sloan came thundering into the hallway and set upon them.

"Look who it is, APPARENTLY the McHale-McAvoys. Listen you two, I think I have suffered third-most during these several years of romantic shenanigans and I expect to be properly recompensed for my anguish AND for being the last one to know."

Deadpan, Will responded: "Well I already gave her a ring and my credit card will soon be liberated from my wallet by a mob, so I don't have anything else to fork over at the moment."

Mac tried a different tack, throwing her arms around Sloan.

"I'll tell you everything at Hang Chews later. You have some telling to do too, Mrs. Keefer."

Sloan scoffed.

"I get to try the ring on too. You know, diamond investments are an interesting prospect these days what with—"

Mac rolled her eyes and turned back to Will.

"We need you back in there guys, we're ready to go."

Will stepped towards her, planting a swift kiss on her mouth. Pulling back, they both smiled at the novelty that this was their new normal.

Sloan groaned, realizing this was now her new normal as well. She grabbed Will's arm to usher him into the studio alongside her.

"C'mon Mr. McHale. You can make googly eyes at her through the monitor." Before they could enter the door, he pulled her into a hug.

"You know this proposal was mostly a preventative measure; I don't think I would survive any more armed blind dates you might set me up on."

"Bite me."

"I love you Sloan."

"Thanks, bro."


	3. Chapter 3

At two in the morning, MacKenzie was happily pressed up against Will in the elevator, hands on his soft sweater-clad chest with his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"You invited the Rockette?" she smirked up at him.

"Well…"

"Will told me he would give me 200 bucks if I got her to high kick in the bar." Neil broke in from nearby.

At two in the morning, MacKenzie was happily pressed up against Will in the elevator… with what seemed like half the team smashed in with them.

When the show ended, Will stopped to change in his office and then sought Mac out to pull her into the crowd waiting for the elevators. With a couple glasses of champagne in them and the high of an engagement and successful broadcast, everyone seemed to informally agree to take a time-out on the angst.

Arms pinned by Will, she resorted to knocking her knee against his with a laugh, causing him to squeeze her closer.

Don piped up from the other side of the elevator, "Who thought it was a good idea to pack the lovebirds in here with the rest of us?"

Mac twisted towards him to retort, "Hand check, Keefer. I don't trust you next to Sloan. Is Gary in here? How do you say 'paws off' in German?"

The elevator doors opened on the ground floor and everyone piled out, Mac twining her fingers with Will's as they walked.

* * *

Will leaned against the bar, sipping a scotch next to Charlie.

"Betrothal looks good on you, William."

Will sighed, still a little stunned that he actually went for it and she actually said yes. The "she" in question was laughing in a seat against the wall as Sloan wedged Mac's ring on her own finger and held it out for admiration. Mac's eyes crinkled with her smile and she scanned the crowd, eyes falling on Will's, smile widening before she turned back to Sloan. Will ducked his chin to his chest and smiled to himself.

"It certainly feels damn good."

He sobered for a moment and looked at Charlie.

"Charlie we both know it's going to continue to be bad, maybe worse, before it gets better. We're leading the team, but deep down I still—"

"Will, it has been bad, it has been worse, but we're making our stand. We are deciding to do the fucking news. Whatever's in Dantana's complaint," – he paused, volume of his voice escalating to attract the attention of nearby Rebecca Halliday – "this bombshell in purple will take care of it."

"It's fuchsia, dammit." Rebecca sidled over to them. "Listen Will, you do your job and I'll do mine. AWM does not just pay me to look this good in a dress at their parties, though I think a little bonus wouldn't go amiss in this case."

She took a step closer to him. "And speaking of looking good, I have now had enough alcohol to tell you are wearing the hell out of that cashmere. This sweater is divine. People don't usually look good on our deposition practice video, but you sir are always camera-ready."

Eyebrows sky-high, Charlie snorted into his tumbler of scotch.

MacKenzie somehow materialized at Will's side:

"Oh he knows navy is his color, Rebecca. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy taught him long ago that blonde hair and blue eyes are not a gift to be wasted."

Rebecca laughed, hooked her arm through Charlie's and winked at Will.

"Charlie, how about you buy me one more cocktail on Will's tab." They turned to the bartender, while Will pulled Mac to the other end of the bar for a moment of peace and smiled down at her.

"Hi."

What she didn't tell Rebecca was how her favorite navy on Will was the navy of his eyes, dark and intense in the deep bar lighting.

"Hi."

Will brought a hand to the back of her neck, thumb and index finger lightly massaging at her hairline. Her head tipped forward to his chest and she breathed him in.

Her hand was at his waist, fingers tucked in one of his belt loops. She rolled her neck back and gave him a lazy, tipsy smile.

"You really are knocking that sweater out of the park. Marry me?"

His head tilted and he chuckled before bringing his lips to her ear.

"I told you before, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in real life."

She hummed with approval as he dipped his head lower and brushed his lips against her neck, but couldn't resist this new lease to flirt with him.

"You also told me I looked like something grown in an environment where it is dark and damp. You basically compared me to a mollusk, McAvoy."

"Mollusks live under water. They're submerged, not damp."

"Oh shut it, Jacques Cousteau. Are you ready to take me home?" Her fingertips strayed from his belt loop to the hem of his sweater and under, grazing his skin.

Going home. Together.

It was his turn to hum his approval, drawing one hand to her waist and taking her free hand in his. Swaying her to the beat of the song playing, mouth back to her ear, he replied,

"After this song. Partyin' partyin' yeah, partyin' partyin' woah."

Mac threw her head back with a giggle as he dipped her on "woah," and slung an arm around his neck. He drew her back up while she kissed him, mouth opening to taste the scotch on his tongue. She scratched the back of his neck lightly and marveled at how good it was to kiss him, how quickly it all came back to them. This man knew exactly how she liked to be kissed but still surprised her with how good he was. Will eased back, dark eyes opening with a glazed look that probably matched her own. With a soft brush of his lower lip on hers he murmured,

"Alright, let's go home."


End file.
